Daddy's Girl
by Narcissa B Malfoy
Summary: Songfic. Cygnus Black struggles to come to terms with his daughters growing up.


_Disclaimer: Last time I checked, my name was not J. K. Rowling. I wish I could say it was, but it's not. I therefore do not own any of these characters._

_I also do not own this song by Red Sovine._

_This was just one of those ideas that pops into your head and refuses to leave until it's been written. We all know what I'm talking about._

_Also note that I do not believe Cygnus was 13 when Bella was born. That's just too young to have a child…_

**Daddy's Girl**

Cygnus Black paced the floor incessantly. He had heard the cry of his child more than ten minutes ago, when was that damned doctor going to allow him to hold his own son? Wringing his hands, he turned and stared fixedly at the closed door, as though this would make it burst open. No-one had, or would ever say that Cygnus was a patient man. He resumed his pacing, hoping his wife was alright. Just as he was considering yanking the door open himself, the door opened slowly, admitting the doctor.

"You can come in now, Mr. Black. Your wife is doing just fine."

"And my son? How is he?" Cygnus asked anxiously, running forward and grabbing a hold of the doctor's robes. The doctor gave a smile before replying,

"It's a little girl, Mr. Black. You have a daughter. And a beautiful one I might add." Cygnus paused. _A girl? I can't have a daughter. I need a son to carry on the family name. Be damned if I'm going to be the last of the Black's, _he thought to himself bitterly.

"No. There must be some mistake. You see, I need a son. I need a boy!" Cygnus said, shaking his head slightly. The smile on the doctor's face faltered.

"I'm terribly sorry. I'll get right onto that then, shall I?" He replied sarcastically, before placing a small bundle in Cygnus's arms and walking back into the room. Cygnus gaped after him. _A girl, _he thought to himself again. He looked down at the bundle in his arms. Lying amongst the mass of pink blankets, his daughter looked up at him with slate-coloured eyes, what little hair she had, already jet-black. She gave a tiny yawn and Cygnus couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

**I recall the night that you came into this world.  
I couldn't believe the doctor when he said: "It's a little girl."  
I said: "Now Doc, you must be wrong. You see I want a boy."  
Then he laid you in my arms and my heart sang with joy.  
**

Running a finger gently down her cheek, he smiled again. She was very cute. He had to admit that much.

"I guess we won't be naming you Draco," he whispered quietly. He stopped for a moment, studying his daughter's features as he thought through the other constellations. "Bellatrix," he concluded. He looked down at her again, watching her drift slowly off to sleep. He leant down and kissed her softly.

**Daddy's Girl, Daddy's Girl,  
I'm the centre of Daddy's world.  
I know I'm Daddy's number one,  
For he loves me like I was his son.  
Daddy's Girl.**

As Cygnus finished pulling on his cloak, he turned around and saw his three-year-old daughter struggling down the stairs, half the toys she was carrying falling out of her little arms. Suppressing a grin, he strode over to help her down the rest of the way, picking up the trail of bottles and clothes she had dropped.

"Andy, sweetheart. I don't think you're going to need all of this. We're just going to a Quidditch game."

"No, Daddy! She needs all this! What if she gets hungry? Or what if one of her dresses gets dirty?" Cygnus nodded.

"I see. That _would_ be a problem, wouldn't it?" Andromeda nodded seriously.

"Do you know what I named her?" she asked her father as she held her doll out towards him. Cygnus knelt down so that he was level with her and looked into her hazel eyes.

"No, what?" he asked interestedly.

"Nymphadora." Before he could reply, another small voice spoke out from the doorway.

"That's stupid. It's not even a star name!" Andromeda whirled around, dropping more of her dolls clothes in the process, to face her older sister.

"It is _not_! Cissy doesn't have a star name! And she's not stupid!" Andromeda shouted. Cygnus sighed. _I can't wait for the teenage year to begin, _he thought to himself mordantly Before Bellatrix had a chance to respond, their mother walked in carrying their one-year-old sister, who gurgled happily in her mother's arms.

"Are you ready, Bella? We have to get going." Bellatrix turned to her mother.

"Do I have to go? Can't I go to the Quidditch instead?" she pouted.

"You would have been able to if we didn't have to go and buy you new robes. I don't know _what_ you did to the ones we bought you last week." Druella reprimanded and Cygnus didn't miss the smirk that crossed his eldest daughter's features. Druella walked over to her husband, kissing him softly.

"I'd best be off. Have fun at the game." Cygnus nodded.

"I'll see you tonight." He replied before kissing his youngest daughter goodbye. "Bye, Cissy. Bella, _be good_." He warned, turning to face her. She gave him an innocent look as she took her mother's hand.

"Bella, if you run off this time, you will _not_ be allowed to…" Druella began as they made their way down the drive. As they dissapparated away, Cygnus turned back to Andromeda.

"Are you ready?" His daughter nodded eagerly.

"Okay then. Let's go." He said, helping her pick up the toys she had dropped before apparating to the stadium.

"_Bender passes the Quaffle to Cefai in a spectacular display of teamwork. That's the best Porskoff Ploy I've ever seen! It seems there's nothing they cannot do! Cefai races the length of the pitch towards the goal posts."_

A cheer went up amongst the crowd as the Woodcroft Werewolves scored, leading the game, 80 to 10. Cygnus leant over Andromeda who sat on the seat next to him.

"You might want to start counting out your Galleons, Abraxas." He smirked at the man who turned and glared at him.

"I'll start counting them once you've given me the money you're going to owe me when the Werewolves lose." Abraxas smoothly countered. Cygnus laughed and turned back to his daughter.

"Are you okay, Andy?" She smiled up at him and nodded. Slipping off the chair to sit on the floor, she continued playing with her doll; feeding it and changing its dress before putting it to sleep. Cygnus turned back to the game, where the Wimbourne Wasps were trying to make up for the points they had lost.

"_Smith makes a sudden dive and speeds towards the ground. This is no Wronski Feint, people! This is the real thing! Smith has seen the Snitch! He reaches out-"_

"Daddy?" Andromeda interrupted. Forcing his gaze away from the game, he looked down at his daughter and found that her eyes were shiny with tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned; she was perfectly fine five minutes ago.

"That boy over there just turned Nymphadora's hair blue," she said sadly, pointing over to where five-year-old Rodolphus Lestrange sat with his father. "It's not 'sposed to be blue! She's meant to have brown hair! Like mine!" Cygnus reached out and wiped away the tears which were making their way down her cheeks, before pulling out his wand and returning the dolls hair to its rightful colour.

"Is that better?" he asked. Andromeda's face broke out in a big grin and she threw her arms around her father's neck.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Cygnus placed a kiss on the top of his daughter's head. "Nymphadora needs a kiss too, Daddy. That was a very traumatic time for her," Andromeda said solemnly. Cygnus, wondering where in the world his three-year-old daughter had learnt that word, kissed the doll she was holding out to him. As his daughter continued playing, Cygnus found Abraxas looking at him amusedly.

"What?"

"Still would have preferred a son?"

"No. No, not really." Cygnus answered seriously.

**I recall the day I took you to a baseball game.  
You brought along your baby doll and half its baby things.  
We sat there a-playin' house, while the Dodgers played the Braves.  
And everyone in the bleachers looked at us as if to say.  
**

It was well and truly dark when Cygnus made his way up the drive, his daughter fast asleep in his arms. Pushing opening the front door proved to be a difficult task; he didn't want to wake her up. As he slowly made his way up the stairs, his wife met him on the top landing.

"Hi. How did it go?" she asked, smiling.

"Brilliant. According to Andy, Nymphadora really likes me. You've no idea how hard I had to work to win that doll's affection." Druella laughed quietly.

"Do you want me to take her?" Cygnus shook his head.

"I'll put her to bed."

"Okay. Come downstairs when you're finished." Cygnus nodded and kissed his wife before proceeding down the hall to his daughter's room. As he placed her down on the bed, she stirred slightly.

"I love you, Daddy." She mumbled, still half asleep. Cygnus smiled as he pulled the covers over her.

"I love you too, Andy."

**Daddy's Girl, Daddy's Girl,  
I'm the centre of Daddy's world.  
I know I'm Daddy's number one,  
For he loves me like I was his son.  
Daddy's Girl.**

Cygnus picked up his fishing gear and headed outside to the small stream that ran through their property. He was halfway there when he heard a small voice calling out to him.

"Daddy! Daddy, wait for me!" Cygnus turned around and waited for his youngest daughter to catch up to him. "Where are you going? Can I come too?" the four-year-old asked.

"I'm going fishing. And I would be honoured if you would join me." He answered, taking her hand in his.

"Why do you fish?" she asked a few moments later.

"I enjoy it. I find it very relaxing." She nodded in understanding before confusion flashed across her features once again.

"But don't muggles and mud-bloods fish? Why are you doing something they like to do?" Cygnus paused, picking his words carefully. He didn't want his daughter to get the wrong idea about muggles. _They are vile, disgusting creatures who don't deserve to be on the same planet as us, _he thought bitterly to himself.

"Occasionally, wizards and muggles-"

"And witches," Narcissa added. Cygnus smiled at her.

"Of course, and witches. Occasionally, witches and wizards and muggles like to do similar things. That does _not_, however, mean that muggles are as intelligent as us." Narcissa screwed up her nose.

"Muggles are disgusting! They don't deserve to even look at us!" she said adamantly. Pride ran through Cygnus at his daughter's words and he held onto her hand tighter.

Reaching the stream, he set his fishing gear down and took the lid off the can of worms he'd ordered a house elf to dig up for him earlier. Picking one up, he placed it one the hook and chucked the line into the water. Narcissa looked at him, absolutely horrified.

"Daddy! Won't the hook hurt the fishes' lip?"

"Well sweetheart…." Cygnus began. His daughter continued to stare at him, her blue eyes wide with concern for the creatures he was hoping to catch. Her gaze suddenly turned towards the can of worms next to him.

"And those things in the can need air! They'll die otherwise! Why are you being so mean to all the animals?" Cygnus smiled at her.

"Shall we let them go then?" Narcissa nodded her head furiously. And together, they tipped the worms back into the soil.

"Is that better?" he asked her once they had all been set free.

"Yes." She replied and Cygnus gasped dramatically.

"It looks as though I forgot one." He said, picking her up and chucking her into the air, she laughed in delight as he caught her.

"Again Daddy!" she pleaded.

"Again? Into the stream this time?" His daughter squealed.

"No! Daddy, you wouldn't do that! You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Cygnus asked, pretending as though he were getting ready to throw her in.

"Because Mummy would get mad at you! And because you love me!" Cygnus paused.

"I won't throw you in if you give me a hug." He bargained. As he brought her down, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Daddy." He kissed her softly on the top of her head.

"I love you too, Cissy." As he set her down on the ground again, a butterfly flew past and landed on her arm. She smiled and lifted her arm up slowly, so as not to frighten it away.

"Daddy, look." She breathed quietly as he knelt down to her level. He carefully reached out and placed his hand over it, capturing it gently in his palm. Narcissa moved closer as he opened it again, wanting to get a closer look, but as he did, the butterfly flew away.

"Come on. We can catch it!" Cygnus said, picking up his daughter and running after it.

**I recall the day I took you on a fishin' trip,  
You said: "Daddy won't that hook hurt the fishes' lip?"  
And you said if they don't get air, those things in the can will die.  
So we turned the worms all loose and chased some butterflies.**

Walking back to the Manor, Narcissa sat on her father's shoulders, holding the butterfly carefully between her hands. As they approached the house, the front door burst open as Bella ran out to meet them.

"Dad! Show me the fish you ca- _Where's the fish_?" she asked impatiently upon seeing her father's arms void of anything but her little sister.

"Bella, look! Look what we caught!" Narcissa said excitedly, scrambling down from her father's shoulders and holding out her hands. "It's a butterfly!" Bella looked incredulously between her sister and father.

"But the _fish_!"

"But it's a butterfly! And I saved the fish! Daddy was going to hurt them but I _saved_ them. And the worms too!" Narcissa announced, obviously very proud of herself.

"What the hell! We can't eat a butterfly!" she sulked before huffing off back into the house. Narcissa turned to her father,

"But it's a butterfly. It's pretty." she repeated. Cygnus smiled as he knelt down to her level.

"Just ignore her. She's just jealous she didn't catch it first."

**Daddy's Girl, Daddy's Girl,  
I'm the centre of Daddy's world.  
I know I'm Daddy's number one,  
For he loves me like I was his son.  
Daddy's Girl.**

Cygnus got up from his chair and walked over to the window for what must have been the tenth time. He peered through the curtains, a slight frown crossing his face. He knew for a fact that his eldest daughter was not up in her room like her sister's insisted she was. _She was out with that Lestrange boy_, he thought to himself bitterly, cracking his knuckles. From the other side of the room, his wife sighed resignedly.

"Cygnus, relax. Come and sit down." Ignoring his wife, he pictured what he would do to the boy when he got his hands on him. His musings however, we interrupted by the sound of someone bounding down the stairs.

"Andromeda, come in here please." He turned and saw his fifteen year old daughter stop suddenly, before turning around slowly.

"Yes?" she asked timidly, as though she already knew what he was going to say.

"Where is your sister?"

"Cissa? Oh she's just-"

"Your _other_ sister. Where is she?" he asked sternly.

"Oh, you mean Bella? She's up in her room. Like she was when you asked me ten minutes ago." Hearing a noise outside, Cygnus whirled around, peering through the curtains once again.

"What do you know about this Lestrange boy?" Cygnus asked, knowing full well that she was lying. Andromeda shrugged, not really seeing any point in keeping up the charade anymore.

"Not much. I don't really talk to him."

"Nonsense! You must know something! Remember the time he changed your doll's hair colour?" Andromeda looked at her father disbelievingly.

"Uh, Dad. I was like, five when that happened. I think I can safely say I'm over it."

"Three. You were three years old." he corrected distractedly, still peering through the curtains. Andromeda turned to face her mother. "Can I go now?" she asked, wanting to put as much distance between herself and her father as possible. He acted quite odd at times and she didn't want to be around when Bella _did_ decide to come home. As Druella nodded, Andromeda walked out of the room quickly, shaking her head slightly.

Seeing that there was still no sign of his daughter, Cygnus slowly made his way back to the lounge, catching his wife's eye as he sat down.

"What?"

"You're terrible." She said, shaking her head amusedly.

"_What_?"

"Bella's a smart girl. And she's old enough to not have you watching her every move."

"I haven't done anything wrong!" he said incredulously. Druella gave her husband a pointed look.

"_Please_, you haven't been able to focus on anything all night."

"Well, I wouldn't be like this if she had just asked us if she could go out." He replied, not quite believing his own words, his wife knowing as much.

"You'd be acting the exact same way even if she had-"

"Shh! Did you hear that?" he asked, cutting her off and rushing over to the window again. "She's back." He announced, his eyes narrowing in hatred as he saw who his daughter was with.

"Cygnus! Get away from there! She'll see you!" Druella hissed.

"Do you see how close he is standing to her!? It looks like he's stuck to her side!"

"Cygnus! Get back here!"

"If that boy gets any closer to her, I'm going to-"

"_Cygnus_!" Druella hissed again. If Cygnus heard his wife, he didn't acknowledge her in any way. That Lestrange boy was far to close to his daughter for his liking, and by the looks of it, getting closer.

_Be damned if I'm going to allow him to touch my daughter_, he thought to himself, marching out of the sitting room and down the hall to front door.

"Cygnus, _no_!" his wife said hastily, dropping her book and rushing after him. Cygnus, beating his wife to the door, yanked it open. The sight before Cygnus made his stomach drop in utter dismay. There stood this boy, hands all over his daughter. Scenes flashed before Cygnus's eyes; he saw Bella, four years old, swimming in the creek, yelling for him to jump in and play with her; teaching her at six to ride her first broom, her determined stubbornness as she insisted that she wasn't too young to learn; her eyes shining with pride when she received her Hogwarts letter at eleven.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he cleared his throat. The two before him broke apart suddenly.

"Dad! What in Merlin's name is wrong with you?" his daughter shrieked.

"Bellatrix, get inside now." He ordered, glaring at the boy who stared determinedly back at him, completely unabashed at being caught like that.

"You can't just spy on people like that, Dad! Especially your own daughter! Wh-" Bella began. The boy placed his hand on her shoulder. At once, she stopped her tirade and just glared at her father. Cygnus was impressed, although he didn't let it show. Not many people were able to silence his eldest daughter; she could be irritatingly stubborn at times.

"It's okay, Bella." He said to her softly, before turning his attention to Cygnus. "Good evening, sir. I'm Rodolphus Lestrange." He offered his hand. Cygnus starred at the boy as Druella, who stood behind him stifled a laugh. Almost against his will, Cygnus found himself warming slightly to the boy, and shook his hand. He seemed to have come a long way from the five year old who had tormented Andromeda. It was then that Cygnus realised that he had to put some measure of his pride aside. Although he hated to admit it, his daughter's were growing up and he had to let them go sooner or later.

**I recall the day that your young man come to call.  
Seems like only yesterday, you swam and played football.  
But I know the time has come, that I must set you free.  
But no matter where you are, you know what you are to me.**

_Bellatrix Lestrange. That's going to take some getting used to_, Cygnus thought to himself as he watched at his eldest daughter dance around the ballroom with her husband. She looked so happy. He continued to watch them when he was startled out of his thoughts.

"It's meant to be a joyous occasion. You shouldn't look so upset." His wife whispered as she stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"What gave you the impression I was upset?" he asked, taking her hands in his. She gave him a small smile.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the lost look on your face. How your eyes seem to cloud over every so often…" she trailed off. Cygnus sighed lightly.

"I was just thinking about when we first met Rodolphus."  
"And how you almost attacked the poor boy." Druella added.

"His hands were all over her!" Cygnus scoffed, trying to defend himself.

"He was holding her hand! That was all! You were just looking at them through a father's eyes." Druella laughed. "Seems we might be having another wedding soon," Druella added a few minutes later, nodding her head over to where Narcissa was dancing with Lucius Malfoy, each looking absolutely besotted with the other. Cygnus frowned.

"Cissy's only 16! She's not getting married yet. Not if I have anything to say about it!" Druella laughed again.

"Relax, we'll give you some time to recuperate before the next wedding." She said as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now, why don't you go ask your daughter for one last dance?" Cygnus nodded before making his way over to the newly married couple and tapped his son-in-law on the shoulder. Rodolphus acquiesced and stepped back politely.

As they began to dance, Cygnus looked down at his daughter and wondered how time had gone by so quickly. He couldn't believe that this was his eldest daughter, his Bella. The stubborn, dark-haired girl who everyone said was the mirror image of him.

"You look beautiful today, honey." She smiled in response as they twirled around the ballroom. He realised then that this was the last time he could ever really call her his little girl.

**Daddy's Girl, Daddy's Girl,  
I'm the centre of Daddy's world.  
I know I'm Daddy's number one,  
For he loves me like I was his son.  
Daddy's Girl.**


End file.
